Reality Check
by yesiaminsanethx4noticing
Summary: Rami Kerys is your typical 20 year old. That is, until she wakes up in the last place she would ever expect to be. OC, T for cussing, I know I'm bad at summaries.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I snapped awake on a carpeted floor. Where was I? I remembered feeling dizzy, and falling. I slowly stood, looking around. And omigod, was that David bloody Tennant? Had I stumbled onto a Doctor Who shoot or something? I turned to look for cameras, and slammed into a lady holding a long-stemmed wine glass. The glass shattered, covering both me and her in red liquid.

"You idiot!" she shrieked, raising her hand. My arm flew up to protect my cheek. I already had enough bruises covering my legs and back. I didn't need one more.

"Resorting to hitting children, are we?" a familiar voice asked from my elbow. I lowered my arm slowly. David Tennant had grabbed the woman's wrist, and her face was red, likely with a mixture of embarrassment and fury at me.

"You insolent child! This will be coming out of your wages!" she spat in my face before storming off.

"Well then, it's a damn good thing I don't work here, eh, bitch?" I growled half-under my breath. I jumped as David Tennant's voice rang from next to me again.

"Hello. I'm the Doctor."

I scanned the room. No cameras, no equipment, no nothing.

"Erm, sorry, this is going to sound a wee bit insane, but, um, can you tell me exactly what date this is, and where I am?"

"It's Christmas day. December 25, 2008. You're on some star liner called the Titanic, from what I've gathered."

Oh HELL no. I'd seen this Doctor Who episode, and if what I suspected was true, then this wasn't a joke, and I really was in danger.

"Oh god. We've got to get out," I muttered softly.

"Sorry, who exactly are you, did you say?"

"Rami Kerys. Oh hell, this is bad."

"Well then, Rami, care to tell me how you got on board? Because you certainly are not a passenger, and you said yourself you're not staff."

I winced. "Yeah, there's the problem. Not sure how I got here, just woke up. But I get the feeling that this isn't a prank."

"Why would it be a prank?"

"Because this isn't real. None of it, none of this should exist, no Titanic's from the planet Sto, no Doctor who looks like David Tennant but honest-to-god has not the foggiest clue what I'm on about."

David Tennant-er, the Doctor raised an eyebrow at me.

"Careful there, you'll get stuck like that." I smirked.

"Well, okay, from what I gather, alternate reality? Parallel universe?"

"Possibility. All of this exists there, too, but only on Doctor Who, a television show" I watched his face to see if he caught that. He did, judging by the tilt of the head and brow-furrowing.

"Okay, telly. Favorite companion?"

"Tied between Jack and Rose."

"Ha! You and me both. Favorite adventure?"

"New Earth." He gave me a blank look, and I realized he'd only know by description.

"Where Cassandra possesses Rose."

"Favorite part?"

"Where she kisses you, and after she walks off, you look all dazed and then go, 'Yup, still got it,' in a high voice. I laughed so hard I cried," I retorted mildly, biting my lip to keep from smiling as he noticeably winced.

"Okay, I believe you, yeah. Now what were you saying about this being very bad?"

"Basically, you've got a suicidal captain who's taken down the shields in the middle of an asteroid storm and creepy robots who will momentarily turn murderous."

"Oh, marvellous. Let's go check the shields then."

I followed the Doctor as he hacked the wiring. He sagged as he saw I was right.

"All right. Rami, what can you do?"

"I'm awesome at hacking. Computers, mainframes, you name it, I can hack it."

"Can you hack the teleports?"

I snorted. "Can I hack the teleports," I rolled my eyes and strolled over as the Doctor yelled for everyone to get to the lifeboats. I slid a few wires free, and suddenly someone grabbed me from behind.

"Oi! Who the 'ell do you think you are, buddy?!" I yelled indignantly, my vague British Northern and American Southern accents hitching and blending together. I thrashed against my captor, who was pulling me down into a lower staff deck. I could hear the Doctor yelling essentially the same stuff I was yelling, about the captain and the meteors and whatnot, but his version involved a lot less swearing than mine. I was dropped on the floor of a room, and I swung my fist around as I stood, cracking my captor on the cheekbone. He stepped away from me.

"Was that really necessary?" the Doctor asked from behind me.

"He grabbed me from behind and dragged me to a small, hidden, dark room. Hell yes it was necessary."

The Doctor sighed and started trying to explain what was going on once again to the guard. Suddenly, the room shook and a loud explosion echoed from the ballroom. People who had followed the Doctor down all screamed.

I scanned the room, biting my thumb knuckle. One of the men who had grabbed us said something about them having blown an engine, and pressed the external door button.

"No!" the Doctor and I both yelled, but it was too late. He was sucked out.

"Oxygen shields down." a mechanical voice said. I moved to the controls, pressing in an override code.

"Oxygen shields restoring."

I turned. "Well Doctor? Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"

"Oh, yes. Astrid," he indicated a blond woman,"Korvin and Foon," he indicated the fat couple,"Mr. Cooper," the old man, "and Bannakaffalatta," the weird red dude. I nodded. "Rami. We should head for the flight deck."

The Doctor nodded at me respectfully, and led us down the hall. As we reached a staircase, Foon and Korvin quickly began repairing a broken Host.

"No, don't-" I started, but it was too late.

"Kill. Kill."

"Kill this, bastard." I growled, smacking a board into the automatons head like I was playing baseball. "Run!"

The Doctor pushed Korvin through the small passage between supports just as I reached the top of the stairs. He slid through, followed by me, and as the Host tried to follow, we dropped the support structure on its head. We came next to a room with one support beam stretched across like a balance beam. Foon cried out, and I looked over in time to see Korvin fall down into the ship's burning inner engines. Foon refused to go across, but as I rushed to help the Doctor he waved for me to go. I leapt away from the beam, though, as it creaked. I had always been scared of heights, ever since my mother had committed "suicide" off a building. Everyone but me and Foon was headed across, and Host began to rise, giving up on the door and flying in. Bannakaffalatta suddenly let out a yell and sent out an electro-magnetic pulse. As both he and the Host dropped, the Doctor yelled for me to come on. I started over the body of one of the Host, and screamed as it grabbed my ankle. I slipped, my legs sliding off the beam like it was water, and dangled, the only thing keeping me up the Host's hand around my leg.

"DOCTOR!" I screamed.

I scanned the underside of the beam, knowing the Host would work out my situation and let go. Nothing to grab, but maybe twenty feet down, a ledge. I could survive twenty feet.

"Oi! Creepy robot! You know, much as you look like them, Weeping Angels are about forty times better than you, beyotch."

Nothing.

"Rami! What're you doing?" the Doctor asked from about halfway to me.

"No? Nothing? Fine, guess I just gotta do this," I said, bringing my foot up to crack the Host's head up. It dropped me, and I fell. I heard the Doctor yell my name. I twisted midair, and landed neatly on the ledge. Thank you, Marc, for all those horrible years of gymnastics. I slid my foot into the first crevice, and heaved my weight up, climbing with ease. I heard a scream, and looked back to see Foon falling, clutching the Host. As I reached the top, I heard the Doctor.

"...No, I'll go."

"But, Doctor-" Astrid began.

"NO. I have lost too many people today, and I-"

"Who's lost me?" I asked, heaving myself onto the platform.

"Rami!" the Doctor yelped, hugging me and pulling me to my feet. "How...?"

"Ledge plus seventeen years of gymnastics, thank you Marc."

The Doctor kissed the top of my head and ruffled my hair. I wrinkled my nose as he turned away.

"Right then. I'm going to Deck 31. You three, try and fix the teleports. Rami, can you hack a Host?"

I shot an eyebrow up.

"Doctor. There's an old tradition..." Astrid said, standing on a box and kissing him. I made a gagging noise. The Doctor walked off looking just as dazed as when it had been Rose. I grabbed a collapsed Host on our way to the ballroom. As we arrived, Astrid rushed to the teleports, begging the midshipman to reroute the power to Deck 31. I didn't bother telling her I could have done it far faster than any control panel, instead pulling a few wires in the Host's skull.

"Kill. Kill. Kill." it started.

"Well that's not right," I murmured, pulling another wire loose. It slumped again. I continued fiddling with wires until something sparked.

"Aw, hell." I growled as a wire lit. I groaned as a telepathic wave slammed my skull. I was a psychic, telekinetic and telepathic. Anything this strong gave me a migraine. One phrase stood out in my mind, though. Light. Light Light Light.

"What the hell's 'at supposed to mean?"

Beware the Light. Run from the Li-... I sighed as the wave faded. I was aware of the Doctor talking to Astrid. I glanced over in time to see him kiss her image before she slowly faded. Yikes. How pathetically romantic. I could have thrown up. I knew I was being insensitive, but I honestly did not care


	2. Chapter 2

As we dropped Cooper off, I chose to stay in the TARDIS where it was warm, thank you very much. The Doctor had decided that I was allowed to travel with him. He came back in, a sad-but-happy expression on his face.

"So, the whole of time and space. Where do you want to go?"

"I dunno. Impress me," I said, fiddling with a Rubik's cube in the console seat.

"Okay," he said, plucking the cube from my hand and finishing it for me.

"I'm going to lie and say I did this." I laughed.

"Okay. Here we are, May 8, 5132."

"Have they invented a method to bake delicious cake without fat, carbs, calories, or sugar?"

"Um, no."

"Next!"

The Doctor looked at me in bewilderment and I smirked. He laughed and rolled his eyes at me.

"Zombie apocalypse."

I gasped. "Bring it on!"

We crash-landed in the middle of central London, far as I could tell.

"Oh, yes, Rami, anywhere you want to go!" I muttered under my breath. Right. London, not exactly my idea of a good time. My loose sweats meant I was frozen, and I also got a lot of strange looks, people likely thinking, "Wow, that weird chick just walked out of a police box in sweats and a tank."

Oh boy. Already I could tell this was gonna be fun. I turned back around, and the Doctor tried to stop me.

"I am not walking around London in the snow in sweatpants," I growled, shoving past him and veering into the wardrobe. I came back out in grey skinny jeans, a green tank with a grey Beatles top over it, colored-on Converse, and a soft blue North Face. The Doctor scanned my outfit doubtfully, and I mentally dared him to say something. He finally shrugged and started walking.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

He looked around and pointed at a sign with a man's face. "There."

I squinted to make out the words, but they still swam, and finally the Doctor handed me his glasses. I slipped them on and raised an eyebrow at the wording.

"Færan Industries. Changing humanity."

I squinted to make sure I was reading it correctly.

"Doctor, færan... It means fear."

He nodded. "Changing humanity... I am liking this. Do you see a address? Or a number to call?"

I raised an eyebrow and pointed behind him, where a large building with the company logo written in big letters across the top rose.

"Oh. Well that was easy." he said cheerfully. I ran after him as he turned and walked towards the door.

"Doctor! You can't just go waltzing in there! They're just going to call security on you!"

"Just stand behind me and look impressed," he sighed, rolling his eyes and pushing the doors open.

"Yes, your majesty," I grumbled, darting after him. The receptionist glanced up at him as he headed past the desk.

"Sir, do you have an appointment?"

The Doctor whirled to look at her. "Sorry?"

"I'm afraid I can't let you through without an appointment."

The Doctor had an "Oh crap" look on his face as he searched his pockets for his psychic paper. "I'm afraid I must have left my papers in my... car."

The receptionist smiled sweetly. "Well then sweetheart, guess you'll just have to reschedule."

"But you remember us!" I said, stepping forward. "Surely you remember us! We scheduled an appointment earlier, remember?"

My voice had turned slow and lilting, the way it did whenever I persuaded people.

"No, hon, you don't look familiar, sorry."

"Oh, but we do. Remember this morning? Of course you do-" I squinted at the receptionist's name tag "-Cora!" I beamed at her and prayed it would work. Cora looked sort of dazed before smiling back.

"Oh, of course sweetie! I'm so sorry! Can I just have your names then?"

"Charlotte Spenser," I said, before nudging the Doctor.

"Oh! Doctor John Smith," he said quickly, shooting me a we'll-talk-later look.

"Well, Mr. Anders' office is on the third floor, fourth door on the right. Make sure you knock!" she called as I pulled the Doctor away.

"Thank you!" he called over his shoulder as I tried to get us on the lifts ASAP. I knew that with the minimal amount of persuasiveness I had used, the effects would be wearing off rather quickly.

"What was that?" the Doctor asked incredulously.

"What?"

"You... You told her, and she believed you. How?"

"I call it persuasion. But others may call it telepathy. Basically, I slip into her mind, find the thoughts or memories I want, and I edit them."

"You edit them?"

"Yes."

"Any other psychic abilities I should know about?" he snapped, exasperated.

"I'm telepathic, telekinetic, and clairvoyant."

"Telepathic. Can you read thoughts as well?"

"Most. Depends on how heavily they can shield," I said, shooting him a look as the lift dinged. The doors opened, and the Doctor strode out, losing his thunder as his coattails caught in the lift doors. I, who had walked out before him, cracked up laughing as he impatiently soniced the doors. As his coat was freed, he glared at me and continued down the hall. We reached a door reading "Mr. F. Anders: Head of Færon Industries."

"I think we found it," I said dryly. The Doctor knocked as I fixed my hair and snatched a random clipboard off a table. At a boomed, "Come in," the Doctor pushed the door open and walked inside, me following cautiously behind him. A big Samoan guy stood beaming at us.

"Ah, you must be Charlotte and John! Cora told me you were on your way up! Please, sit down, sit down!"

I smiled politely as he pulled my chair out for me. I perched on the very edge of my seat, uneasy. He should know we weren't real clientele. Even if we had gotten lucky with the names, he should know what the other two look like. Something was off. The Doctor appeared to settle down in his chair, but I could tell he sensed it too. Mr. Anders sat down and leaned forward, looking at us happily.

"My, my. I never thought I'd see it! The Doctor and the Ghost. Both so similar, and both so coveted."

With that, he snapped his fingers.

"Well, guess what that did?" I snapped grouchily,"It did absolutely bloody nothing!"

Mr. Anders smiled sweetly at me, and I about gagged at his mind. Just listening to his thoughts made me feel violated.

"Try and leave the room. See what happens."

I strode towards the door, and as my hand touched the knob, I screamed at the intense pain it shot through every psychic link. The Doctor was up and rushing towards me in an instant.

"What did you do to her?" he growled at Anders, crouching next to me. The aftershocks of the pain still rattled through me.

"Oh, she's fine," Anders waved him off dismissively. "Just a little psychic feedback. What is important, Doctor, Ghost, is that I get a good price for you two."

With that, he walked off, leaving me and the Doctor in his office alone.

"The Ghost?"

"I have no idea."

The Doctor looked up at the door, before reaching for it. Instantly, he drew back, groaning.

"And I had my shields up. Good god, that must have HURT."

I smirked and pushed my weight up. Cautiously, I pressed my hand to one of the walls, feeling the soft hum of the shields just under the surface.

"He's got it surrounding the entire room. No way out."

"There's always a way out," the Doctor muttered, scanning the room. He whipped the sonic out of his pocket, scanning the windows and door.

"Ok. I can get out, but you're going to have to wait here until I come and get you."

I looked at him doubtfully. "If you're being serious, you know that there is no chance, yeah?"

The Doctor gave an exasperated sigh. "Rami, this is pretty much our only chance."

"I don't care. You are not leaving me here."

"Okay! I'll figure something else out!"

I glared at him, chewing my tongue. Finally, I turned to rummage through the desk, searching for a clue or something of that nature. I whirled as I heard the door click open. The Doctor was sprinting down the hall towards the lifts.

"DOCTOR!" I screamed.

"I'll be back for you!" he called as the doors shut again.

"Doctor," I whispered, sinking to the floor. He left me. He bloody left me. No. No. That wasn't how it worked. I reached out with my thoughts, testing the extents of the psychic barrier. It seemed to stretch about three feet before petering out. Three feet. I could get through three feet. I heard heavy footsteps coming down the hall, accompanied by two sets of smaller footsteps, and muffled voices.

"Four million? Just for them?"

"The Doctor and the Ghost. They're well worth it."

Oh crap. I didn't know if I could make it through three foot shields in the forty seconds I had. Rather, I hurled the window open and hid in a small closet. I heard Anders and company enter the room, and Anders cursed.

"They've gotten out! Damn!"

I peeked out of a crack in the wall. Anders stood at the window, staring hard at the ground below.

"How did they get through the barriers?"

Anders' companion drew my attention. A short middle-aged ginger woman, the one who had offered Anders money, leaned against the desk looking mildly upset. She was a sharp contrast to the man who had posed the question. He was tall and blond with grey eyes, probably around 22.

"Hush, Lux. No one needs your insolent questions!" the woman snapped. The guy-Lux?-looked irritated.

"Yes, Exodus," he muttered.

"Lady Exodus, please, if you'll come with me we can find them, I'm sure. That's a three storey jump. They can't have gotten far," Anders said. Exodus pushed off the desk, following Anders out. Lux started to follow, but Exodus snapped at him.

"No, Lux! You stay here! We don't need you and your idiocy messing things up!"

Lux watched them go before sitting on the floor so he was facing my knot hole.

"You can come out now," he said calmly.

I stayed silent, shrinking back farther into the shadows.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you, and I'm certainly not about to rat you out to Exodus," he laughed.

Carefully, I pushed the door open, crawling out.

"Ah, there we are!" he smiled, reaching to help me. I recoiled from his touch, and he drew his hand back. I settled on the floor in front of him.

"Hi there. I'm Lux. What's your name?"

"Rami," I said softly.

"Why is Exodus after you? Also, where's your friend?"

"He went to find help."

"And left you to Exodus and Anders?"

"Not intentionally, I don't think. He thought Anders was just a perv, I think. And we didn't even know about Exodus."

Lux nodded. We both jumped at a creak in the hall, and I darted back into the closet. The Doctor's head poked in, and his brown eyes settled on Lux.

"Where's Rami?" he growled, his voice uncharacteristically angry. Lux pointed to my cupboard, and I stuck my head out.

"'Lo."

"Why are you in the cupboard, and who's he?"

"Right. Yes, okay. He is Lux. And I am in a cupboard because somebody left me in a creepy man's office, and the creepy man came back with friends who are offering him four million pounds for the pair of us."

"O-kay," the Doctor said, stretching out the two syllables. "Follow-up question: why isn't Blondie there ratting us out?"

I shot him a glare.

"You know, "Blondie" can hear you," Lux drawled from his position.

"Because Lux hates Exodus as much as I do," I said coolly. The Doctor's brow furrowed.

"Exodus Augustinia?" he asked Lux.

"Yeah. You've heard of her, then?"

"Oh yes."

"Not good?" I asked.

"A bit not good, yeah. Exodus Augustinia is a well known inter-planetary collector and trader."

"Sorry, I don't speak Sci-Fi Monthly."

"It means she buys aliens, turns them into slaves, and trades them for other aliens," Lux said quickly.

"Sorry, who are you again?" the Doctor

asked.

"Luxian Corsai. I'm Exodus' nephew."

The Doctor nodded thoughtfully before we heard footsteps on the stairs.

"So, Rami, I'm guessing that Luke is the only one who knows you're here?"

"Lux, yeah."

"Okay then. Come on,"

The Doctor jumped out of the window, and I looked over the sill at him apprehensively.

"Well, come on then! Let's get a move on!"

"No way am I jumping three storeys."

"I'll catch you!"

I shook my head. Lux pulled me out of the way and easily leapt out. I bit my lip as I looked at the Doctor and Lux both ready to catch me, and tensed to jump. Then I made the mistake of looking at the ground. The thirty feet turned into three hundred, ground turning from steady to a churning ocean. I wondered dully if this was how my mother had felt before she died. I heard Exodus' gasp from behind me as she saw my position, and I could feel her mind trying to worm its way into mine. The vulgar thoughts of Anders filled my head, and I saw all the putrid things Exodus would let him do to me. That was pretty much my breaking point, and I hurled my weight over the sill. Two pairs of strong arms caught me, and set me on the ground.

"Are you all right?" Lux asked.

No. No, I was not.

"Yeah."

Exodus leaned over the windowsill, cursing Lux. Lux smiled sweetly up at her before flipping her off. The Doctor grabbed both of our arms and pulled us behind him, not an easy feat when Lux and I were both cracking up laughing at Exodus' expression. He dragged us into the TARDIS, slamming the door behind us. Lux looked around in awe, and the Doctor and I both mouthed with him: "It's bigger on the inside."

The Doctor smirked. "If I told you two to wait here until I tell you it's safe, would you listen?"

"What do you think?" Lux and I responded in unison. The Doctor sighed.

"Yeah. Ok, so Luke, what is all this "changing humanity" business?"

"Well, Auntie and Freddie don't exactly confide in me, but what I know: Anders has some form of extensively powerful alien life that hates color, and is somehow using that to his advantage."

The Doctor nodded and grabbed my wrist, pulling me behind him out the TARDIS doors.

"So, have we got a plan?" I asked, stumbling behind.

"Yes."

"What is it?" Lux asked from behind me.

"This is it."

"THIS is the plan?"

"Well, really, the plan is to sneak in and improvise. A lot."

"And how is that plan working?"

"Well, we haven't been caught yet, so rather well."

Lux and I exchanged a look. Great. I could tell that was what he was thinking as well. Sneaking into the building was shockingly easy, a simple security passcode that I cracked in fourteen seconds. We slipped into a long, semi-dark hall, pressing into crevices whenever patrols made their way past us.

"This is it," Lux hissed, pointing to a large metal door. The Doctor cautiously pushed it open and eased himself inside, beckoning for us to follow. As we moved inside, the door clicked shut. I started to spin, but Lux stopped me with a hand on the small of my back.

"Do not turn around," the Doctor said.

"Why?"

"It can't eat anyone who doesn't look," Lux murmured in my ear.

"Eat?" I squeaked, my voice shooting up about two octaves.

"Yes. It gets hungry. It will try to get you to turn around. You do not, do I make myself clear?" the Doctor growled.

I felt Lux's hand tighten on my side as the thing tried to turn him. I kept my eyes fixed on the Doctor's back until the creature moved on. As the thing realized neither of the men was about to look, it moved to me.

"Ah, the girl. My, aren't you a beautiful little thing? So perfect..."

I squeezed my eyes shut and dug my fingernails into my palms as I felt a tongue drag from my jaw to my hairline.

"Oh, come now, little one. Just one peek. You can hardly resist. A little teensy look won't hurt, will it?"

I fought the urge to open my eyes.

"Oh, beautiful one, don't be like that. Come now, let me see those gorgeous eyes."

Nonononononononono.

"Fine. You want me to force them? I will."

I shrank into Lux's side as the creature slid its horrible fingers down to grope me. It bit on my neck, and I knew the spot would mark. Evidently, the rules forbidding it from eating me did not stop it from biting.

"You are more trouble than you're worth, child," it growled finally, and I heard it slink away. Slowly, I let my eyes creep open. Lux pulled me tighter to him, and I checked my neck with one hand. Sure enough, a slight bump rose on my pulse point.

"You okay? What'd it do to try and get you to look?" Lux asked.

In response, I twisted slightly so he could see my throat. He winced sympathetically and kissed the top of my head. Ooooh. Cute guy, kissing... Shouldn't go there right now, Rami. Not a great time. We reached a fork in the path, and the Doctor stopped me and Lux.

"Rami, you go left. Luke and I will go right."

"Are you just sending me left because there's nothing down that path and I'm gonna have to sit around while you and Lux kick some alien arse?"

He cleared his throat. "No, I'm sending you that way because...Erm... Just go that way, dammit!"

I glared at him for a moment before sighing and starting down the path.

"Asscrowns. Sending me down the boring path while they get to have all the fun. What, I can't handle some dumbass motherfucking bitch of an alien? Guess again, jackass," I growled to myself. I dug through my pockets and found a pack of Skittles. Absentmindedly, I popped one in my mouth as I continued down the dark corridor. A dull roar echoed down the corridor. I reached for another...Skitt... Dull roar? Suspicious. Better go investigate. I sprinted down the long hall, coming to an enormous room. A large creature that looked like a cross between a pill bug and a buffalo sat in the middle, looking anguished. It saw me, opening its mouth and letting out another roar. I cocked my head at it.

"'Lo there. What are you?"

It looked at me, confused. I walked closer cautiously.

"I'm Rami. What's your name?"

I heard a soft voice in my mind.

Name? Name. No. Name.

"You don't have a name?"

No. Name. Your's. Is. Rami?

"Yes. I'm Rami. Why are you down here?"

Man. Strange. Big. Man. Hurt. Me.

"Anders? Anders is why you're down here? He hurts you?"

Wants. Me. Talk. No. Talk. To. Him.

"Why? What are you?"

No. Like. Do. Not. Talk. To. No. Like.

"So you don't talk to people you don't like. What are you? What species?"

Am. Cerulean.

"Cerulean? Okay. Did humans name you that?"

Yes. Says. Do. With. Color?

I scanned the Cerulean. It was blue.

"Yes, okay. What planet are you from?"

From. Oresmah.

"Can you move?"

Move. Yes. Not. Can. Leave. Hurt. If. Leave.

"Well, if you leave with me you'll be okay. I'll protect you."

Protect? Little. One. Protect. Me?

"I'm tougher than I look."

Not. Likely.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Did you suddenly develop a sense of humor?"

Humor? Telling. Truth.

Great. Some blue roly-poly-buffalo thing just insulted me.

"Well, if you're not coming, I'll go by myself."

I started down the hall, and a lumbering came from behind me.

Go. With. Little. One. Protect. Her.

"I don't need protection."

Protect. Little. One. Get. On. Back.

"Fine! Pushy."

Pushy? Name. Pushy?

"No. Your name can be...Hugo. Yes, I like that. Hugo the Cerulean."

Hugo. Name. Hugo. Like.

We continued down the hall, moving faster than I would have alone. As we reached the fork in the path, I pointed to the right.

"We need to go that way."

Yes. Why. Need. This. Way?

"My friends are this way,"

Friends? Friends. Nice?

"Yes, you'll like them."

What. Friends'. Names?

"The Doctor and Lux."

I felt Hugo's purr of approval. The hallway widened up ahead, and I could see the Doctor and Lux dodging tentacles. I leapt off Hugo's back and sprinted towards them. Hugo loped behind me, his heavy footfalls the only sound we made. I burst through the door just in time to be slammed back by an enormous tentacle.

Little! One!

Hugo sounded alarmed. I sat up. Hugo had bitten the tentacle and was swinging wildly. Lux was being held near the squid-like creature's mouth, and the Doctor was dodging the thing's wild swings. Exodus and Anders stood behind the thing.

Little. One! Color. Allergic.

Allergic to color.

"Oi! Squidward!" I yelled. The thing turned to stare at me with its enormous black eyes.

"Taste the rainbow, bitch," I growled, and threw my Skittles into the creature's open mouth. It looked stunned- well, stunned as a giant squid can look- and choked. It dropped Lux, who hit the ground and didn't move. Hugo landed on his feet near me. The squid collapsed backwards with a squealing roar, crushing Exodus and Anders. The Doctor sprinted over to me, hugging me and kissing my forehead.

"You, Rami Kerys, are an absolute genius!"

"I know," I said, grinning. I remembered Lux, who was sitting up with a hand pressed to his forehead, and I sprinted over to him.

"Hey," I said, crouching.

"Hi."

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Nice move with the Skittles," he said, grinning.

"Well, you know. I am absolutely brilliant, after all."

He laughed and rolled his eyes. I stood up and offered him a hand. Hugo nudged me from behind.

Little. One. Safe?

"Yes, I'm fine. Let me introduce you to my friends."

Little. One's. Friends. Yes.

"Lux, Doctor, this is Hugo. Hugo, the blond one is Lux, the other one is the Doctor."

Little. One's. Friends. Hello.

"Um, hi," Lux said, blinking.

"Hello," the Doctor said cheerfully, rushing forward to whir the sonic at Hugo. Hugo let out a soft rumble and leaned against me.

No. Hurt. Hugo.

"It's okay, Hugo. He's not gonna hurt you."

The Doctor checked the readings. "Cerulean, Oresmah, male, mildly telepathic. You're a long way from home, aren't you?"

Hugo. Brought. By. Man.

"Oh. I see. Would you like to go home?"

Protect. Little. One.

"Little One? Would that be Rami?"

Little. One. Rami. Protect.

"Wow, Rami, he's taken a liking to you. Generally, Ceruleans don't talk to people. Or like them. Do you mind if I ask him a few questions?"

"Hugo?"

Little. One. Come?

"I'll be just in the other room. You'll be okay. We're going to the TARDIS."

The Doctor sighed and pointed to a set of stairs behind the squid thing's corpse.

"Up those."

I followed him, Lux and Hugo directly behind me.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Omigod, I am sososososo sorry. I got locked out of this account and only just got back in! AGH! But here's chapter three. It took me long enough.**

"Please, Doctor? Pretty, pretty please? With sugar on top?" I begged.

"They can't both stay! We don't have the room!"

I cocked an eyebrow. "We live in a constantly changing maze that is its own dimension and isn't bound by temporal space and time parameters."

"The Cerulean has to go home!" he protested.

"The Cerulean doesn't want to go home! Hugo wants to follow me around and make sure I'm safe!"

"And you think that's healthy?"

"How the hell should I know?! He's a freaking alien race! I'm not exactly the number one expert on those, now am I?"

The Doctor sighed, making it evident I was getting on his nerves. "Tell you what. We'll ask the Cerulean what he would like to do, and go by that."

"The Cerulean has a name," I said, just to be irritating.

"Don't push your luck, Kerys."

I chuckled as I followed the Doctor down the hall to where Hugo was. The TARDIS had provided a large room with a forest and fields and gardens for Hugo, and he seemed rather content. When I walked in, he came bounding over to greet me like an overly-friendly dog. Or a party host.

Hello. Little. One!

"Hello, Hugo. The Doctor has a question for you."

Hugo's head cocked to one side in a move reminiscent of me, and I chewed my lip so I wouldn't laugh.

"Hugo, would you rather go home to Oresmah, or stay with Rami?"

Hugo. Stay. With. Little. One.

"Really? Because I can take you-"

Hugo. Stay. With. Little. One!

The Doctor and I both exchanged shocked looks. Hugo had almost sounded angry.

"Rami, I guess... I suppose you can keep..."

I threw my arms around the Doctor's neck.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" I yelped. Hugo purred softly next to me. The Doctor laughed and pried my arms away.

"So, where d'you and Hugo want to go?"

"Um, I dunno. Hugo?"

Sorry. What?

"Never mind. And besides, what's the point of having an intergalactic tour guide if he doesn't even list the possible destinations?"

"All right, we could go to Rexicoricophalvitorius, or Barcelona, or New Earth, or um... There is always- hey, where'd Luke go?"

"Erm, I dunno. How about you and Hugo discuss where we're going, and I'll go track down Lux."

I darted out of the room before either of them could stop me, and raced down the halls.

"Lux? Lux!"

"Rami?" I heard a voice call from inside one if the rooms. I pulled the door open. Lux stood in the center of the room, looking at me.

"Hey, what're you doing?

"Just looking around, why? Is that okay?"

"Yeah, course. Doctor was looking for you. Wanted to know where you want to go next?"

"Hm, somewhere cold."

"Well, don't tell me! Tell him! Come on," I said, grabbing Lux's arm and pulling him after me into Hugo's room.

"Found him!" I announced loudly. "He says he wants to go somewhere cold."

The Doctor hummed thoughtfully, and then broke into one of his insane grins.

"I know just the place!" he said cheerfully, sprinting out of the room, presumably to the control panel. I followed him, much to the protests of Hugo. Note to self: get Hugo a puppy or something to keep him company. By the time Lux and I were about halfway down the hall, the TARDIS gave a lurch and the familiar whooshing surrounded us. As I stood and helped Lux up, the Doctor came dashing around the corner and, bouncing on the balls of his feet, snapped at us to come on. I followed him out the TARDIS doors with Lux hesitantly trailing. We emerged in a snowy wonderland, flakes swirling down past us, and I mentally thanked myself for changing shoes from squid-goo covered Converse to brown combat boots. Mountains coated with white rose in the distance, snow dunes making long-distance visibility a thing of the past. Looked quite a bit like Narnia during the Ice Witch's reign, actually. Or at least, it did until I took a step and both feet slid out from under me. Ah. So it was that kind of weather. I didn't have a huge issue with ice, I had grown up in Oklahoma, where there was no fluffy powder, only icy slush, but it would be a fun experiment to watch Lux and the Doctor get used to it. I pushed myself back up and watched as Lux did the exact same thing I had. I smirked and looked over at the Doctor.

"So, where are we?"

"Senterras. The most peaceful planet in the universe."

"Sounds like my kind of place!" Lyx said, finally managing to wade his way over to me and grab my shoulder. We all turned at the sound of shouts from over one of the dunes, and a female head appeared. We locked eyes, and the dull emptiness I saw in her eyes frightened me. There was nothing, no glint of any emotion, no spark of intelligence, just darkness. She started moving towards us, and I instinctively knew that there were others and that they were filled with the same dullness.

"Oh! Hello!" the Doctor called, starting towards her.

"Doctor..." Lux started.

"Um, I don't think that's such a great idea..." I said.

"Nonsense! I'm sure if we just discuss this we can..." the Doctor trailed off and stopped walking as more people appeared over the ridge, moving with the same jerking gait, missing the easy, smooth motion between picking up and putting down their feet. The Doctor took a step backwards, and slipped on the ice, landing on his bum. He scrambled backwards, and managed to get back up. He mumbled something unintelligible and turned to Lux and me, who were watching in horror.

"RUN!" he shouted, and I didn't hesitate, grabbing Lux's arm and practically dragging him. The Doctor was right next to us, and just behind him was the first of the Empties. She reached towards him, and I knew, without knowing how or why, that I couldn't let them touch me. I threw on another burst of speed, thanking God I had gone for cross country as my high school sport. Suddenly, Lux was yanked from my grip, and I turned my head sharply. He was being pulled backwards towards a rapidly opening hole in the snowy terrain, and another Empty's fingers stretched towards my shoulder. I screamed and the Doctor cut sideways, grabbing my coat and pulling me into a cave lined with green. The instant my feet hit the soft grass that made up the floor of the cave, silence struck me. Not total silence, as I could hear a stream bubbling, and trees rustling, and I could almost swear I could hear the pure sound of the flowers growing, but it was as if someone had twisted a knob on the outside world. All of the Empties' shouts and screeches and heavy footsteps were shut out. I looked around in bewilderment, and found I was in a forest. Had we planet-jumped or something? Then I saw a round opening, and through it, a crowd of Empties standing in a snowy landscape, looking around in confusion at the Doctor's and my sudden disappearance.

"Where...?" I whispered.

"It's called the Forest of Peace. I remembered it from my last visit to this planet. It is a refuge, they couldn't get in even if they brought down the cliff side."

"Lux. Oh my god, Lux. They have him. What are they?"

"They're people. They're people with all their hope taken away and a bit of sociopathic alien added in."

I swallowed, my throat tight with terror.

"What'll they do with him?"

"Make him...they'll make him like them."

"Why?"

"Because they wish their condition on others."

I bit my lip and stared at the Empties as they made their way to a snow castle. Wait, snow castle? They had a fucking snow castle? Well, damn.

"We have to get him back," I muttered, wanting to throw a snowball at one of them and see if they would melt. Instead, I twisted my head to stare at my surroundings in awe. A stream babbled a few feet ahead, trees grew from beside the paths, flowers blossomed. An odd glowing light filtered through the leaves, resembling lamp light, and it was warm enough for the flowers to stay alive.

"Why was this place created?"

"Well, Senterrans are a naturally peaceful race. They're literally designed to not fight. In case of an invasion, Senterrans wanted a safe haven. Actually, I quite get the feeling we're going to meet them."

"Why?"

In response, the Doctor pointed behind me. I spun to see a creature vaguely resembling a human standing behind me, and I leapt back, bumping into the Doctor's chest.

"Salutations, visitors. I am Kateb. Who are you?"

"Greetings, Kateb. I am the Doctor," the Doctor said smoothly from behind me.

"Rami," I managed to squeak out after the Doctor nudged me.

"Hello, Doctor, Rami. Is this all of your traveling party?"

"There's another. Lux. He was taken by the Empty Race," the Doctor said calmly.

"The Empty Race. They have destroyed our planet, destroyed the beautiful Senterran cities with their ice castles. They are a despicable people!" Kateb growled angrily. The Doctor mutely nodded his agreement, and grabbed my hand. I was pulled deeper into the heart of the Forest as the Doctor followed Kateb towards what I assumed would be civilisation. Suddenly, I spotted what looked like a house. And then another. And another. Bloody hell, there was an entire town in this forest. And it was full of creatures like Kateb. And I did not like this. Not one little bit. I didn't know why, but something in me screamed that these creatures were not to be trusted. But the Doctor trusts them, another part of me argued. Well, the Doctor is wrong sometimes. Like when he said this planet was the most peaceful, the other part retorted, and my brain jumped towards its response. I pulled on the Doctor's sleeve.

"What?" he asked, not turning around.

"Doctor," I hissed, aware that the Senterrans were staring.

"What?"

I leaned as close to his ear as I could so the Senterrans couldn't hear me.

"I don't like this," I hissed.

"Why?"

"I don't know. But I don't like it one bit."

A word kept bumping at the outskirts of my memory, pushing to be spoken, but it was just out of reach, just far enough away that I couldn't quite grasp it.

"Where are we going?" I asked after the Doctor kept walking. Yeah, that's right. Listen to Rami for a change, why don't'cha?

"As far as I know, their leader."

"Ha! Aliens," I said, eliciting an odd look from many of the bystanders. The Doctor bit back a smile, catching the joke. We reached a large hut, built into one of the trees, and Kateb stepped inside, the Doctor following.

"Um, think I'll stay out here, okay?" I said, looking around anxiously.

"Don't wander off," he called, obviously otherwise occupied. I sat down on the stairs, watching the Senterrans watch me. Pulling out a pen, I absentmindedly doodled on my hand as I tried to eavesdrop on the whispered conversations around me. The Doctor stepped back out of the tree hut and helped me up.

"So?" I asked.

"They can't help us get Lux back. We're on our own, but they'll feed and shelter us- what's that?" the Doctor broke off, grabbing my hand. I looked at what I had written.

Theta Sigma, run.

It was scrawled all over my hand and forearm in a handwriting that wasn't mine.

"Rami, where did you hear this?" the Doctor asked, urgency creeping into his voice.

"I-I don't know. I didn't. I just started doodling on my hand."

"You're certain you've never heard it before? Stored it in your subconscious?"

"No, I don't think so," I said, the Doctor's anxiety seeping into me and making me more anxious than I already was.

"Rami, you need to remember. Have you ever heard this anywhere? It is absolutely essential that you remember this," he said, grabbing my shoulders and bending so his face was on the same level as mine.

"I-no. No, I've never heard it. That's not even my handwriting," I stammered out. The Doctor's eyes widened. I pointed mutely to the Senterrans behind him, their faces morphing into things with gaping maws and sharp teeth. The Doctor whirled and backed up, his one outstretched arm bumping me back as well.

"All right. Rami, do exactly as I say. On the count of five, we are going to run, okay? One, two, five, run!"

I spun and shot into the trees, the Doctor close behind. I heard an animalistic shriek, and the crashing of undergrowth as the Senterrans came after us. The Doctor raced for the outside world, and I realised I had to make a decision here. Which creepy monster would I rather put up with? I managed a look over my shoulder and found an enormous, jagged-toothed mouth not far from my face. Yep, I'd definitely take the Empties over being eaten by that. I hurtled back through the opening of the "Forest of Peace", a sense of déjà vu creeping over me. The Doctor and I both collapsed on the snow, and I started laughing in shock.

"Rami, are you alright?"

"No, I think I've gone crazy," I gasped.

"It's a possibility," the Doctor agreed, and I turned my head to look at him.

"Right, not helping, sorry," he said, pushing himself back up. He offered me a hand, which I took, and pulled me to my feet. I looked over at the Forest of Peace. A Senterran stood, snarling at me, and I stepped back, gasping as the snow gave way beneath me and I fell down a hole.


End file.
